A group of local contractors has occupied the gate of the FCT Administration (FCTA) to protest the non-payment of an alleged N5.2 billion debt.
Speaking through one of their leaders, Adebola Bendon, the contractors said they would remain there until FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, acknowledges their plight. Bendon explained that the outstanding liabilities had accrued over time, with some debts originating from the tenure of the previous minister.
“So far, the liabilities calculated are in billions; over N5.2 billion is owed to different contractors,” Bendon said.
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He noted that while the previous administration made partial payments, Minister Wike also paid a portion of the debt but had since stopped.
“We are appealing to him to please pay us,” he pleaded.
The protesting contractors included those involved in refuse collection, renovation, supplies, maintenance, road patching, de-silting and electrification. Bendon explained that many of these jobs were emergency-related, such as fixing road lighting on diplomatic routes or repairing water pipe bursts, which were done without waiting for formal procurement processes.
This, he said, was how some of the debts accumulated.
But in a swift reaction, Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communication and Social Media, said the minister had not awarded any projects worth N5 billion to the local contractors.
“No contract was awarded to any of the local contractors by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike. If they have documents showing the award of contracts by the Minister, they should produce them,” Olayinka said.
He further explained that in December 2023, a bill of about N10 billion was presented to the minister as outstanding payment for jobs done before he assumed office. This was described as “Shopping” or “Minor Procurement.”
“The same December 2023, payment of over N5 billion was approved by the Minister and was made immediately,” he said, adding that in January 2024, another N5 billion was paid, clearing the over N10 billion outstanding bills.
Olayinka stated that just three months later, another bill of over N15 billion was presented for the same minor procurement.
He said the minister questioned who approved these contracts, as he had not.
“How can you claim to have carried out jobs worth over N15 billion within three months, without the approval of the Minister? How can you accumulate over N15 billion debt on contracts within three months?” he queried.
Olayinka also noted the irregularity of the contractors’ claims, which had varied from N15 billion to N8 billion and are now at N5 billion.